Social Work Day at the Legislature

Social Work Day(s) at the Legislature is this month! This day is designed to help social work students and social work professionals learn how to influence public policy.  This year the NASW-AZ Chapter is doing things a little differently than from years past.  The focus is going to be more on participant involvement than speakers.  Social workers will have the opportunity to write three letters to their legislators and role plays will be conducted of what a meeting with a legislator might look like.  There is also time allotted so that social workers can register at the kiosks in the house and senate, which will allow you to wiegh in on bills from your own computer at home. We will be ending around 2 and are encourage you to try to meet with one of your legislator’s at this time (appointments should be made in advance).

Did you also know as students you can join the NASW-AZ Chapter’s public policy committee and help plan social work day? The public policy committee is a group of social workers who volunteer to advocate for the voice of social workers in Arizona in accordance to the NASW Code of Ethics.  This year our co-chairs, Lindsay and Suzanne, sent out emails to members to see who would like to be involved.  Those who responded with interest received a follow up email inquiring what policy related topics are most important to them.  This year social workers who responded were most interested in CPS/Child Welfare, Immigration, AHCCCS, Mental Health, and budget cuts.  In addition, we are also paying close attention to other bills regarding other populations (such as domestic violence or LGBTQ).  This committee also helps to plan Social Work Day at the Legislature.  The public policy committee is a great way to learn more about advocacy, contribute to your profession and network with other social workers! 

click here to view flyer for SW Day at the Legislature 

Graduation is close!

Well maybe not too close, but it is my last semester.  As an Advanced Standing MSW student it sure seems weird to have taken what seemed so long to get my BSW and only 10 months to get my MSW (note: I'm not complaining).  I remember getting my BSW and being fearful I wouldn't find a job and now I have that feeling all over again.  I know other students have this same worry.  I am fortunate enough to have a part-time job right now that will let me get more hours when I graduate, but it doesn't really pay enough to cover my bills when considering I will also have to make student loan payments. Yikes.

A few things that I have been trying to do this year to help with finding a career in a not so prosperous economy:

Volunteer- it looks good on your resume, you may make some connections to people in social services, plus it's actually great for self-care.  I always kind of thought social workers don't need to volunteer as much because we (well I do anyways) work with the populations I would volunteer for.  But after being a case manager, I definitely think it necessary to volunteer.  Especially since I decided to go PAC in school, volunteering has given me the opportunity to help and be around vulnerable populations (and without all the paperwork!) --which was the reason I got into social work to begin with.

Join groups in school- I try to participate in SWSO (Social Work Student Organization) as often as possible.   Since I only started attending ASU this year (my undergrad is from Eastern Michigan), it wasn't really an option for me to be a elected official of SWSO (these positions were chosen either the previous year or before I knew any of the students). I would suggest that students get involved as a SWSO representative  because it does seems like the President of SWSO and other representatives are getting their names out in the community. As a member of SWSO, I participate in their events which has led to meeting other social work students I would not have otherwise not  met and also having some great opportunities to be involved in community service. 

I am also a member of Phi Alpha National Honor's Society.  While this has a cost to join, it certainly seems benefits outweigh the cost.  In the past I have never joined clubs where it cost money to join, but the ASU President of Phi Alpha bugged me  till I joined:) I'm glad I did, Phi Alpha does volunteer work each semester and at the end of the year host a free dinner for the member and a member guest (which the dinner actually is worth more than the cost to join).  It will be a nice gradation dinner for my husband and I to attend and say good-bye to some of my social work friends.  Additionally, once you become a member you are a member for life and you can add this to your resume as well.

Be nice to everyone: Way back when I was 18 and a freshman in college, a random sophomore told me her advice to all freshman students is "be nice to everyone you meet".  For some reason, this really stuck with me (not that I was mean to begin with) and I try to be nice to everyone I meet.  This seems even more pertinent in grad school.  You may have realized that teachers like to put social work students in groups for class and some groups don't work so well together.  As social workers, one would think we would be experts in working in groups that have complicated group dynamics, but I have witnessed this is not always the case in class groups.  While I have also been in groups that had interesting group dynamics, I have always tried to remain professional and nice to group members that I don't see eye to eye with.  It is important to remember that your classmates will most likely turn into your professional peers.

And of course--become involved in with your branch at the NASW-AZ chapter.  Once a month the NASW-AZ Chapter's Branch One meets at Paradise Bakery in the Tempe Market Place (the third Thursday of the month from 5:30-7:30).  I was a little hesitant about going because I wasn't sure if I'd know anyone or if it would be awkward, but it was very welcoming.  At this networking event, social workers and social work students get together and positively discuss certain topics (last month we discussed the importance of good supervision). It was refreshing to meet new people and be around compassionate social workers not in the academic or work setting.

Branch One also has a movie night where they watch a movie related to social work and then discuss the movie. I have not attended these, but I hear the movies are fantastic!

Of course as a PAC student I was definitely interested in joining the Public Policy Committee for the NASW-AZ Chapter.  Although it is intimidating for me to join committee's due not having as much experience, I am looking forward to being involved.  I also joined another committee whose goal is to increase voter engagement.  I am looking forward to all I will learn from more experienced social workers on these committees.

Any other suggestions?

Another Successful Summit

As many of you know, the NASW-Az Chapter hosted the Social Work Summit on Friday and it was a huge success! The theme of the summit was "Social Workers Find Hope in a World of Hurt". It was a great opportunity for social workers to relax and enjoy good food, network with other social workers from around the state, and earn some CEU's.

Tim Schmaltz from PAFCO was a key note speaker and spoke on the topic of resiliency.  Tim gave suggestions on how social workers can stay resilient during this time of economic downturn when not only budget cuts are affecting the services we provide for our clients, but also how budget cuts and the economy are effecting our personal lives.  Social workers briefly spoke to their frustrations with having additional responsibilities at work with less staff and money to work with. Tim reinforced the importance of self-care, positive relationships, engaging in sabbath, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, and of course to remember to have fun!

Kent Burbank and Vanessa Helms, from Victims Witness Program at the Pima County Attorney's Office, were also key note speakers and discussed serving victim's of crime. Kent and Vanessa engaged social workers in discussion about what a person experiences cognitively, emotionally, and physiologically after being a victim of a crime.  Kent and Vanessa also discussed how society and/or social workers tend to judge a person as a "good" or "bad" victim and how these judgements can affect victims negatively.  Lastly, Kent and Vanessa reviewed the history of Victims' Rights in Arizona, the progress that Arizona has made in this area, and what social workers can do to continue to advocate for victims' rights.

After lunch, social workers could attend either a training on Pet Therapy or Human Trafficking.  I chose to attend session on Human Trafficking which was lead by Katie Resendiz from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Alert Program.  Katie informed us on what human trafficking was (modern day slavery), the different forms of human trafficking, indicators of human trafficking, as well as  what we can do to help end human trafficking. 

The summit concluded with the NASW-AZ Chapter Award Ceremony.  Judge Finn graciously accepted the Public Citizen of the Year award for her commitment to social justice. Tim Musty, a school social worker, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Representative Gabrielle Giffords received the Public Elected Official of the Year award for her work that aligns with social work values.  Pam Simon, a teacher who was a staff member of  Rep. Giffords and was present and injured the day of the tragic Tuscan shooting, accepted this award on Rep. Giffords behalf.  Pam informed us that she recently visited Rep. Giffords and was impressed with how much progress Rep. Giffords had made and how sharp her memory was. Pam also stated her respect for social workers and how helpful it has been for her to receive therapy from an MSW therapist since the shooting.

Gabe Zimmerman received the Social Worker of the Year award and his father, mother, and fiance drove up from Tuscan to accept this award on his behalf.  As we know, Gabe lost his life in the tragic Tuscan shooting, but this was a good opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments Gabe made in the social work field.  Josephina Ahumada, a NASW Board Member and one of Gabe's professors at ASU-Tuscan, spoke to Gabe's commitment to social justice and interest in policy.  Additionally,  due to Gabe's help, the Arizona State-Tuscan component was saved. Gabe's father also spoke about how proud Gabe was to be a social worker.

Nominations for awards for 2012 are now being accepted. Click here to nominate an outstanding social worker you know.  A new award category has been created to recognize an "emerging social worker".  This award is for any social worker who is under 35 years of age, or a social worker who has been in the field for less than 5 years, or a student who is currently enrolled at a CSWE accredited university.  This is a great opportunity to recognize your colleagues and peers for all the hard work they do!

Welcome! My name is a Angela and I am an Advanced Standing MSW PAC intern at the NASW-AZ chapter for the school year.  It has been awhile since this blog has been updated so my hope is that we can get it started again.  The purpose of this blog is for social work students to be able to discuss our education, social work issues in Arizona, and ways to enhance our performances social workers.  I would love to hear from fellow students about anything you would wish to discuss!

I will start by introducing myself in more detail.  I am from Ann Arbor, Michigan and earned my BSW from Eastern Michigan University.  While in Michigan, I had the opportunity to intern at a long-term women’s substance abuse rehabilitation center and at the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.  I also took a Community Organization class at EMU where I was able to volunteer at MetroTeen Aids in Washington DC and worked with youth whose lives have been touched by HIV/AIDS as well as educated the community on safe sex practices.  I went into social work planning on doing direct practice but changed my mind upon my arrival in Arizona.  While in Arizona, I have worked at Quality Care Network as a High Needs Case Manager for children with behavioral health concerns as well as a Resident Assistant at UMOM New Day Centers (family homeless shelter), where I still work one day a week.  Immediately upon starting work in Arizona I was able to identify how social policy was really effecting the clients I was serving and I started becoming frustrated.  I realized that perhaps instead of doing direct practice it might be a better fit for me to work at a more macro level and try to influence social policy.  I am so glad I did because I love it so far.  

Since I am still rather new to learning about Arizona policy, I hope to hear from you all on this topic as well!  If you are a Direct Practice student I would encourage you to do research social policies, become active in advocating for your clients by emailing your representatives, and VOTE! Continuous budget cuts in Health and Human Services is really making providing direct services to our clients.  As social workers we need to help our client’s voices be heard!  I am really looking forward to my internship here and getting the chance to become active in the legislative process in the spring and meeting all of you at the Social Work Day at the Legislature!

One last thing that I know we talk about a lot and I’m going to bring it up again because it’s important: self-care!!  I am not the best at this so if you have any tips please let me know! Since school started last June I have been trying to find time to exercise, which sometimes is the only way for me to successfully turn my brain off.  I have become a groupon junkie and every yoga deal I find on groupon I buy.  This has been amazingly helpful:) I also love to hike! Obviously not when it’s 115 degrees out like today, but come October I plan on being at Echo Canyon trail on Camelback every Saturday morning if anyone wants to join!